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Interview Tips and Advice
How you perform at interview is often a key deciding factor for employers when deciding between candidates for a job. To really impress a perspective employer you need to perform well at the face-to-face meetings and good preparation is vital.
The following tips and advice are provided to help you prepare for your interview, overcome any nerves you might have, and be the best you can be when the meeting takes place.
Research
Find out as much as you can about the client you are meeting in advance.
Websites
Most company websites are now packed with information about the businesses, including ‘About’ sections, mission statements, past results, personnel details etc. If a company does have a comprehensive website, they will expected you to have read it.
Other online resources such as Linked-in can provide good information, as well as excellent profiles of the people that you are going to meet.
Press
If there is no company website, then there are a number of other resources available to you including trade press and national newspapers. The Lawyer, Legal Week, the Law Society Gazette and their respective web sites publish current information about firms so they are all worth checking the week before the interview. Also read any business related journals, and try to speak to any current or past employees of the business that you might know.
Interview Tips
- Present yourself as professional and smart, if in doubt be conservative.
- Turn off your mobile phone.
- Greet your interviewer standing, with a strong, firm handshake and a smile. Good body language is vital. Sit up straight with both feet on the floor. Speak clearly and confidently. Try and maintain a comfortable level of eye contact throughout.
- A standard interview will generally start with an introductory chat, moving on to questions specific to your application and experience. General information about the company and role may follow, finishing with an opportunity for you to ask your own questions.
- Be very familiar with your CV and prepared to answer questions from it. Similarly, ensure you have read any job description thoroughly and think of ways in which your experience will benefit your potential employer.
- Listen to what is being asked of you. Think about your answers to more difficult questions and do not give irrelevant detail. Give positive examples from your experience to date but be concise. Avoid one word answers however. Prepare yourself in advance for common interview questions.
- Be ready to ask questions that you have prepared beforehand. This can demonstrate you have thought about the role and done some research on the organisation. Ensure they are open, thus encouraging the interviewer to provide you with additional information.
- Show your enthusiasm for the role, even if you have some reservations. These can be discussed at a later stage.
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